Saying it received thousands of complaints, the New York State Bar Association on Monday announced a wide-ranging investigation into the conduct of Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer who’s part of Trump’s Elite Strike Force Team, and his role in instigating the terrorist attack on the Capitol.

In a statement posted on its website, the NYSBA said that it has a responsibility to make sure its members abide by the their commitments, as officers of the Court, to uphold the rule of law and maintain professional standards.

“As the nation’s largest voluntary state bar association, NYSBA has a responsibility to defend and protect the rule of law,” the statement says.  “Based on these complaints, and the statement Mr. Giuliani uttered shortly before the attack on the Capitol, NYSBA President Scott M. Karson has launched an inquiry pursuant to the Association’s bylaws to determine whether Mr. Giuliani should be removed from the membership rolls of the Association.”

“NYSBA’s bylaws state that ‘no person who advocates the overthrow of the government of the United States, or of any state, territory or possession thereof, or of any political subdivision therein, by force or other illegal means, shall be a member of the Association,’” the statement continues.  “Mr. Giuliani’s words quite clearly were intended to encourage Trump supporters unhappy with the election’s outcome to take matters into their own hands. Their subsequent attack on the Capitol was nothing short of an attempted coup, intended to prevent the peaceful transition of power.”